This cache is number 4 in an occasional series highlighting local literary connections.
A statue of Richard Hooker dating from 1907 stands on the Cathedral Green in Exeter. The coordinates for this are N50 43.390 W003 31.821.
Richard Hooker was born in 1554 in Heavitree, Exeter, and is described by the Exeter Civic Society as 'one of Exeter's most illustrious sons'. The 'Heavitree Arch', part of the public art project 'Voices of Exeter', contains an interpretation panel explaining more about this philosopher and writer, and there is also a quotation from Hooker to be seen on the pavement beneath it which continues by re-entering the glass arch.
Hooker was raised by his uncle John Hooker, Chamberlain of Exeter, in his home adjacent to the Cathedral. He studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from the age of 15, and took Holy Orders as an Anglican priest in 1581, a role in which he exerted great influence as a theologian. He believed strongly in religious tolerance, advocating that the worship of God should be open to all. Queen Elizabeth 1 recognised the importance of his thinking and made him Rector of the Temple Church in London. His most famous work is the eight-volume 'Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Politie' and this provided the Anglican Church with the background used to develop the Church of England as it became. The high standard of his style of writing in this work ensures that it is viewed by many to be one of the finest examples of Elizabethan prose.
Richard Hooker's writings are still seen as of great importance today, the Church of England Synod continuing to refer to them when considering church doctrine.
To find the cache you'll need to visit two waypoints in Fore Street, Heavitree, Exeter to find the following information.
Waypoint 1 (the headline coordinates). The Heavitree Arch - a glass sculpture dedicated to the writing of Richard Hooker.
One word in the writing around the arch and on the pavement is in a different colour to the rest. How many times does this word appear in total?Number = A
How many supports are there for the metal bar immediately behind the Arch? Number = B.
Waypoint 2. 'Voices of Heavitree' decorative oak tree and glass-cased poster describing the 4 Voices - those of Hooker, The Yew of Heavitree,The People of Heavitree and The Oak Tree.
How many glass-covered lights are set into the ground in this area? Number = C
In the decorative metal tree guard how many letters are there in the word describing the sheep? Number = D
How many letters in the name of the Saint mentioned in the section of the poster which tells of the Voices of the Heavitree Yew? Number = E
How high is the arch in metres, as seen on the poster? Number = F.
Checksum of all numbers = 27
The cache is a 10-15 minute walk or 5 minute drive away and can be found using the following formula:
N50 A C . [E - (F + B)] (D - F) B W003 (A - B) (C x C) . (A + A) E (F - B)